Busy families are always pushed for time and let's face it are only too happy to take (safe) shortcuts in the kitchen to make life a little easier. Here's my 'Top 10' very simple tips in the kitchen with everyday items and ingredients, tips that you may or may not have seen before.
1) How to easily peel a whole head of garlic
How simple is this?! I've had a few designs of garlic press over the years, but this is a time saver when roasting or pickling instead of fiddling about with a knife and then there comes the issue of cleaning the holes in the darn garlic press!
2) How to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew
This is ingenious! How many times have you been to a relative house or a non drinker where they haven't got or can't find a cork screw? It's a good party trick at a BBQ as well and you're too lazy to go to the kitchen, just don't try it when your tipsy!
3) How to chop onions without tears
I never knew about this until recently. Sometimes cutting onions can be excruciating to the average eye, but if you have contacts, sensitive or any other obstacles this could save you a lot of pain, what have you got to lose?
4) How to easily peel a hard boiled egg
"Where do tough chickens come from? Hard-boiled eggs!" No, I didn't think that was funny either, but nor is peeling eggshells and if you're like my wife, if there's one miniscule piece of shell left on the egg, she won't eat it! Now I haven't actually tried this, so please let us know if it works or not?
5) How to stop a pan boiling over
This is my wife's excuse why she won't go anywhere near a hob from being mentally scarred as a child, of course that's just a lame excuse, but this is handy if you've got a lot going on in the kitchen or just have to nip out of the room go for a pee!
6) How to easily peel a banana like a monkey
Yes, that's right, how clever monkey's do it. And as we've evolved from our ape cousins that means they've been doing it a lot longer than we have! Clever eh?.. well can a monkey cook a spaghetti bolognese?..meh, silly monkey's!
7) How to cook the perfect steak with Gordon Ramsey
Love him or loath him, he's a great chef and when it comes to Michelin Star restaurant standard of cooking (he has fifteen stars!), he knows what he's talking about. I love my steaks medium rare, so just watching this video makes me salivate!
8) How to open a bottle of beer with a piece of paper
Another ingenious method to open your favourite tipple, this time in the form of an A4 piece of paper to open a bottle of beer! Sounds impossible you say, well I'd have to agree with you until I saw this video. Another good party trick, or some scatterbrain has walked off with your bottle opener keyring!
9) How to cook perfect fluffy rice with Jamie Oliver
Something that most people get wrong, including me and i'm an average cook. This is simply all you need to know how to make the perfect rice and as a bonus, some great flavouring methods too from another 'marmite' chef Jamie Oliver.
10) How to easily make bread and cheaply
How much has bread gone up in the last 10 years? Well not in-line with inflation. Whether it's due to climate, decreasing farm land or bad politics, shop bought bread is expensive. Here's an idiots guide how to make bread and cheaply!
Do you have any favourite tips? Leave a comment below.